1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to exercise equipment and, more particularly, to an exercise apparatus which is incorporated in a piece of furniture such as a chair or recliner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Due to increased public interest in fitness and health, a great variety of exercise equipment has been designed in recent years. Most such exercise equipment includes either a weight-resistance apparatus, a cycle apparatus, or both. Most of these prior art exercise devices are large and bulky and thus require a significant amount of floor space. Moreover, prior art equipment is typically manufactured with numerous moving parts formed of tubular steel or rubber and is therefore unsightly. Accordingly, most prior art exercise equipment is primarily designed to be used in commercial fitness centers. Since many users are too busy to travel to fitness centers, commercial exercise equipment is often underutilized.
To meet the demand for more convenient exercise equipment, manufacturers have designed smaller units for residential use. Although these prior art devices are more convenient than large commercial devices, they suffer from many of the same limitations. For example, prior art residential exercisers are unattractive and too large to be placed in living areas of the home. Thus, the equipment is relegated to the basement where it is either used infrequently or totally forgotten.
It is known to design exercise equipment which is incorporated into otherwise conventional furniture to overcome the aforementioned disadvantages. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,738,649 discloses a combined chair and exercising device which has exercise equipment mounted on a platform in a space beneath the seat portion. Although exercise equipment of this type is more convenient than conventional exercise equipment, it presents several disadvantages of its own. For example, prior art furniture exercisers must be set-up before use. In the '649 patent, the user must first get up from the chair and position and lock the exercise platform outside the seat portion of the chair. This operation is cumbersome and time-consuming and thus limits the convenience of the equipment, especially for senior users. A second limitation of prior art furniture exercisers is that they provide limited exercise operations and do not allow the user to exercise his or her upper and lower body simultaneously. A third limitation of prior art furniture exercisers, such as the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,470,298, is that they require the user to bend, stoop, lift, or otherwise awkwardly exert themselves in order to expose or access the normally concealed exercise mechanisms. Many users, including the elderly or the disabled, may be incapable of the actions required to place the exerciser in position for use.
Due to these and other problems and disadvantages in the prior art, a need exists for an improved exercise apparatus.